OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - MONDAY - 30/09/2013 - MIDWIVES ARE REWARDED BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

MIDWIVES ARE REWARDED

MEMORY VERSE

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

John 14:3

READ

John 14:1-3

John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

John 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

MESSAGE

Can you dare to stand alone? Can you dare to stand on the side of God while the government is against you? The midwives of Exodus 1 fell out of favour with the government of the day but they did not care. As a result of their sacrificial obedience to God, they entered into favour with God and began to receive special divine care according to Exodus 1:20. In fact, verse 21 says,

“And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.”

This could mean those who were single and searching found their right spouses and got married. It could also mean that those who were married had peace and multiplication in their homes. Also, this could mean that tenants among them became landladies by divine favour and speed. Beloved, are people laughing at you while you are obeying the King of kings? Are they calling you a fool because you refuse to compromise like others are doing to succeed? Are people saying you do not know the shortcut to prosperity? Never mind. Stay focused on your God-given assignment! God did not forget the midwives; He will also not forget you. God gave them households. God will not forget you or your labour in soul winning!

In John 14:1-3, the Lord assures us that He is building mansions for us. Many years ago, the Lord took me in a vision to a place in a city beyond compare in beauty. I saw a house under construction which was massive and had many rooms. The labourers were busy working at it. When I asked the Lord who owns the house, He said, ‘Son, this is your house’, expecting that since there is no night in Heaven, when my children come to pay me visits, they will have rooms to stay. He said the building is still going on as long as I am winning souls. Beloved, whether people believe it or not, I know what I saw. I saw mansions in Heaven. I have seen my own building. The Lord is equally building yours. Are committed to winning souls? Soul winners are so dear to God’s heart that He makes them relevant both in time and in eternity. How much have you worked for your heavenly reward?

PRAYER POINT

Father, help me to serve you acceptably so that I do not lose my earthly and eternal rewards.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Ezra 8-10

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - SUNDAY - 29/09/2013 - DEALING WITH DEVOURERS BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

DEALING WITH DEVOURERS

MEMORY VERSE

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

Malachi 3:11

READ

Malachi 3:8-11

Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Malachi 3:9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Malachi 3:11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

MESSAGE

Another area that restitution may be required in relation with God’s instructions can be seen in His dealings with Joshua and the children of Israel. Earlier, in Joshua 1:1-9, God promised to go with him and that no man would be able to stand before him throughout his life, etc so when they got to Jericho widely believed to be impregnable, just one shout, the walls came crashing down. Then one day, they came against a little town, Ai, and they were defeated. This was contrary to what God had promised him, so he fell on his face and enquired what went wrong. The Lord told him that some water had mixed with his petro (gas) and that until there was a separation, they were on their own. Until the culprit – Achan and his family were identified, isolated and destroyed and the stolen things were restored, victory continued to elude them. This tells us that restitution restores God’s presence in your life. It also sustains victory and ends defeat. So if you restitute, you are doing yourself a world of good.

Moreover, restitution silences devourers. In Malachi 3:8-11, God said all His children who are robbing Him in tithes and offerings have violated His covenant, and therefore are under a divine curse. However, He says if they will restitute their ways, He will personally rebuke the devourer for their sakes and open the windows of Heaven to them and give them a blessing they will be unable to contain. There are two type of devourers – the ones sent by the devil (John 10:10) and the ones sent by God. To deal with the devourers sent by the devil, simply resist him and he will flee from you as long as you are in right standing before God. But to deal with the devourers sent by God, it is through restitution. You will have to cry to God for forgiveness and thereafter undo what made Him to send the devourers in the first place. Do you owe God in tithes, offerings, thanksgiving or vows? Ask for forgiveness and go ahead and pay what you owe. If it is in tithes, also add 20% as interest being the penalty for eating your tithes (Leviticus 27:31).

ACTION POINT

If you tolerate devourers, God will do nothing about them.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Ezra 5-7

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - SATURDAY - 28/09/2013 - MOSES, A WORLD LEADER BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

MOSES, A WORLD LEADER

MEMORY VERSE

Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.

Numbers 12:3

READ

Numbers 12:2-4

Numbers 12:2 And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.

Numbers 12:3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

Numbers 12:4 And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.

MESSAGE

Apart from David, another Bible character that could not win all his internal battles was Moses. This was a man who won Heaven’s prize for meekness the world over during his time.

“Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.”

Numbers 12:3

From this scripture, we learn that God has a record of all prize winners, nation by nation and on a worldwide scale for various areas of the fruit of the Spirit. He has a record of the most loving, most patient, most caring, greatest soul winner, best praise leader, greatest worshipper, most thankful person, etc. if you were assessed by God in all these areas, would you emerge a world leader? If you truly care about your standing in any of these areas before God, and you ask Him, He can tell you. He has the records for every parish and every activity. That means, at the end of thanksgiving service held at every local assembly, God scores everyone who gave Him thanks. Once in a while, He can tell the pastor the person who danced the most or who thanked Him the most, and you can be sure that being the best in a particular activity attracts a special reward above the normal.

Another lesson here is that it is possible to be a world leader in a particular area of grace and still mess up in some other areas. Moses was a world leader in meekness yet he could not win the battle against anger. Further still, we learn that being a world leader in a given area does not absolve you of the punishment for failing in another area. Moses missed the Promised Land because of anger. But thank God he did not miss Heaven. This tells us that while you sustain your strengths, do not neglect your weaknesses. Neglecting your weaknesses can eventually erode the glory of your strengths. Strive to be the best in every Kingdom activity. You can be the best giver in a kingdom project without giving the highest. Just give your all like the widow did.

ACTION POINT

Prayerfully seek God’s face on an area you desire to be a world leader. Ask for grace to do it.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Ezra 1-4

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - FRIDAY - 27/09/2013 - TESTIMONIES FROM MOUNTAINS BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

TESTIMONIES FROM MOUNTAINS

MEMORY VERSE

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Mark 11:23

READ

Mark 11:23-24

Mark 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

MESSAGE

As unpleasant as mountains are, for some people, it will take facing a mountain to move them to their next level. May the mountains that come your way from now onwards bring out the best in you. Usually, while preparing for our conventions, our parishes would send volunteers to clean up the camp before and after the programme. During the preparation for a particular convention, I had been going round inspecting the various aspects of the work being carried out from morning, and it was already evening so I was very tired. As I retired that evening, I gathered my family for a brief prayer; thereafter I went to bed and fell asleep immediately. Not long after, my wife came to wake me and I told her to leave me because I was very tired. Then she said, “One of the volunteers is dead and he is from your village”. When I heard that, I jumped up from the bed, gathered the prayer warriors and we began to pray. After an hour, God said “I thought you said you were tired”. Thereafter, he asked me to release the prayer warriors that it was me He wanted to talk to. In the process of this communication the volunteer came back to life.

Moreover, a mountain could be a divine set up for a testimony. When God is about to do the miraculous, He starts with a big problem. Are you facing a big challenge today? Congratulations! God is going to bring out a big testimony from it. Mountains give you an assurance that there is something greater on the other side. In a house where the landlord has just one shirt and one trouser and an old bicycle, there is no need for a fence or gate. This is why several houses in a city like Lagos have no fence, but the houses with great treasures are usually fenced and some, massively fenced. If you visit some of such houses, you would think you are in a prison yard as a result of the several security gadgets and structures put in place. In other words, the presence of mountains in your life shows that God has deposited something precious in you. The more the mountains you face the greater the value placed in you. Stop crying over that big problem! Thank God and ask for it to manifest its good purpose.

ACTION POINT

Ask God to bring out testimonies from your trials and mountains.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

2 Chronicles 33-36

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - THURSDAY- 26/09/2013 - UNPLUGGED? BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

UNPLUGGED?

MEMORY VERSE

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

John 15:5

READ
Joshua 7:7-12

Joshua 7:7 And Joshua said, Alas,  Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!

Joshua 7:8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

Joshua 7:9 the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

Joshua 7:10 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

Joshua 7:11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

Joshua 7:12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

MESSAGE

Besides isolation from the source of fire and wrong company, another factor that could cause a firebrand to lose its fire is when it is unplugged. Take for example the electric pressing iron: if it is plugged to the power source, no matter how many clothes you iron with it, it will remain hot. But assuming while you are singing and ironing, somebody unplugs it from the power source, you will continue ironing until you observe that the pressing iron no longer have impact on the clothes; by the time you check, the iron would have gone cold. Many leaders have gradually become cold unknowingly and as a result, they are ineffective in their spiritual assignments. This happened to Samson. While he was toying with strange women, Delilah unplugged him from his source of power. He woke up and thought things were still the same, only to find out that he had been reduced to the level of the natural, having lost the supernatural edge (Judges 16:18-20). You cannot toy with the sins of pride, disobedience and immorality and expect things to be the same.

In Joshua 7:1-9, the children of Israel suffered a most avoidable and disgraceful defeat from Ai. Their leader did not just ignore it but sought God's face concerning it. In verses 10-12, God told him the defeat was because He withdrew His support as a result of the sin of some of them. If you are no longer feeling God's presence, check your life. If the Holy Spirit is no longer moving you like He used to, check yourself. If you suffer a defeat from your enemy, check yourself. It is possible God is the One you are now contending with since you sinned. Trace the point you were unplugged. Repent with all sincerity and get connected again. Are you separated from God, get reconnected. Pay whatever price He wants of you until you are re-plugged. You cannot serve God without His backing. So seek His face today until you find Him.

KEY POINT

Any time you break off from the Vine, you are left to handle issues and challenges with your own strength.

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - WEDNESDAY- 25/09/2013 - STARTING SMALL BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

STARTING SMALL

MEMORY VERSE

Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.

Job 8:7

READ

Zechariah 4:6-10

Zechariah 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.

Zechariah 4:7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

Zechariah 4:8 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Zechariah 4:9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you.

Zechariah 4:10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

MESSAGE

God has appointed time to visit an individual. May your appointed time bring you utmost joy. In 1 Kings 18:41-45, at the seventh time of intensive prayer, the servant of the man of God saw a small sign in the sky, yet the rain would fall, it was massive. This simply tells us that whenever God is to do something great, He starts small. Due to lack of understanding of this, many people have missed God’s plan for their lives. They say God told them He was going to use them mightily but they wonder why they are being given very negligible assignments now. They turned down their small assignment and miss the big ones that should have come out of the small. For those who are over selective concerning matters that God has spoken about, please heed this warning. There are small jobs whose assignment in your life is not to give you your desire haven of rest and comfort, but to link up with that choice of job or assignment! Be very careful how you handle these little assignments. Do you know that you will be assessed on how you handled the smaller jobs or tasks to determine whether you qualify for the big? If you fail in the little, you may be truncated from the big ones.

Zechariah 4:10 says you should not despise the day you started small. Those in senior ecclesiastical positions today did not get there overnight. They started small and today they have been promoted to where they currently are. The mustard seed is the smallest among seeds yet its tree is a giant. Some people want to start a business but they continue to wait until they have a large capital when others have started similar businesses with a very little amount. Let God begin something great through you. Be ready to start small. Do not be afraid to take that step. Some people are fighting to get a job where designed not to be employees, but employers of labour. Jobs 8:7 assures you that as long as you are with the Lord, your latter end shall be very great.

KEY POINT

If little assignment has no place in your life, God would not have brought them.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Isaiah 61-63

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - TUESDAY- 24/09/2013 - CHECK THIS BALANCE BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

CHECK THIS BALANCE

MEMORY VERSE

 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

Proverbs 22:29

READ

Proverbs 22:29

Proverbs 22:29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men., that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.

MESSAGE

To fly as an eagle, you need to balance anointing with holiness. Each wing cannot do without the other. Why? Without holiness, anointing is like a machine gun in the hand of a mad man. Samson had anointing but lacked holiness and it led to his untimely death. Also, some people want victory over the battle confronting them but they are not ready to pay the price.

James 4:7 says,

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

They say first things first. It is after you submit that the victory will come. Some people do not want to submit to authority and yet they want to command the devil and expect him to obey. It is not possible because a bird does not fly with one wing.

In the same vein, many people want breakthroughs in their finances. They pray, fast and attend breakthrough programmes but even though they know what Malachi 3:10 says, they are not prepared to obey. How then will the breakthroughs come? If you satisfy God's conditions, He will surely keep to His own side of the bargain. In addition, promotion works hand in hand with diligence. Proverbs 22:29 says,

Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

Many Christians want to prosper or become great without necessarily working hard. Some are praying and fasting for prosperity but do not even want to work. They are so selective of jobs that they prefer to stay idle or jobless until they get their choice job. But God does not often work that way. God is no magician but a miracle worker. He rewards those who take up the little and do their best. If Joseph had said he will not serve in any lesser capacity than what his dream had depicted, he would never have realised that dream. Some people are stuck between where they are and their destiny because they refuse to accept the available 'small' opportunities. Stop limiting yourself! God watches our attitudes. It is your faithfulness in the 'little' that will make way for the bigger doors. If you are too selective, your real problem may be pride or laziness, and God hates lazy bones.

KEY POINT

When you work hard, let your confidence still be in God, otherwise you could be disappointed.

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - MONDAY- 23/09/2013 - TIME TO RESTITUTE BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

TIME TO RESTITUTE

MEMORY VERSE

And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.

Acts 24:16

READ

Acts 23:1-5

Acts 23:1 Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.” 

Acts 23:2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

Acts 23:3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

Acts 23:4 And those who stood by said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?”

Acts 23:5 Then Paul said, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written,‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.

 MESSAGE

According to Matthew 18:6, believers who cause young converts and fellow believers to backslide cannot escape their evil deed both now and in eternity. Jesus says it is better a millstone was tied to their necks and they be drowned in the depth of the sea. If you have led believers to backslide, repent today and bring them back to the fold or face God’s judgment. On that day, when all human beings ever created by God will stand before the Great White Throne for judgment, there will be no place to hide. You still have the opportunity to correct the false teachings you taught people in your Sunday school class, Believers class or House Fellowship, which led some astray. You can mend your ways today because God is still keeping you alive. A day is coming when there will no longer be time for you on earth. When your time is up, what next, if not to face eternity – prepared or not?

In a particular church several years ago, it was an altar minister who went in the guise of visiting new members, to discourage them from continuing with the church. Much later, the new member confessed to the pastor. Several years later, even though that minister had become a parish pastor, things refuse to normalise in his life and ministry. If you have taken some members of the church to occultic houses in the name of seeking help, and through that such members have backslidden, repent and go after them. See your pastor and confess to him, so that he can pray along with you. Some workers have left their local assemblies because of incessant sexual harassment by a minister or pastor which started during a counselling session. If you fail to repent, confess the sin and restitute, you may be separated from your works and rewards. You may miss Heaven while your rewards will be in Heaven. Nobody outgrows restitution. According to today’s reading, even Paul apologized to the high priest as a form of restitution.

KEY POINT

Repentance and restitution go hand in hand. While the former clears the way with God, the latter clears the way with men.

Bible in one year

Isaiah 55 - 57

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - SUNDAY- 22/09/2013 - LET GO OF THE OLD BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

LET GO OF THE OLD

MEMORY VERSE

Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

Genesis 17:5

READ

Genesis 17:1-7

Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Genesis 17:2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

Genesis 17:3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,

Genesis 17:4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

Genesis 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

Genesis 17:6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

Genesis 17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

MESSAGE

God is doing a new thing but some people are not prepared for it. In fact, some people have become so used to suffering that they are afraid of experiencing something different. I once prayed for somebody that when he is coming to the next convention of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, he would come in his own car. I noticed he did not say Amen, so I asked him if he heard what I said. He said he heard but that when one gets a car, he will begin to bother about mechanic, insurance, fuel shortage and so on. There are some people who prefer to die poor. Why? They believe that if they are rich, armed robbers will begin to harass them; but are the poor also not victims of this?

If you were to compare, you will find out that being rich is still better than being poor, being full is better than being empty, progress is better than stagnation, etc. However, for the new to begin, the old must end. Take for example when Jacob experienced a change of name in Genesis 32:24-28, before he could be called Israel, his old name Jacob was done away with. God also changed Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. If there is going to be a new beginning in your life, be prepared to part with old habits, thinking and stereotypes. If you think being sick gives joy, I believe you need to think again. If you think that poverty will get you into Heaven, you do need to rethink. You can be the poorest man in the world and still end up in the hottest part of hell, whereas, you can be the richest man on earth and still be a king in Heaven. The deciding factor is not in what you have or do not have, but in salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. God does not train His children with sicknesses contrary to what some people think. He received stripes for you to be healed. He has paid for your healing already because He does not want you to be sick. He gains nothing in delaying your miracle. Make bold to receive with thanksgiving what He has already accomplished for you on the Cross. Are you ready to let go of the old so that the new can have its course?

ACTION POINT

Ask God for the grace to completely leave the old for new blessings.

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - SATURDAY- 21/09/2013 - LIKE GREEDY DAVID? BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

LIKE GREEDY DAVID?

MEMORY VERSE

So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
Proverbs 1:19

READ

2 Samuel 12:7-10

2 Samuel 12:7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;

2 Samuel 12:8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.

2 Samuel 12:9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

2 Samuel 12:10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

MESSAGE

One enemy you must conquer on earth is yourself. If this is done, you will surely win other external battles because, the toughest battle is the one within. All who failed in external battles failed because they could not win the internal fight they had with lust, anger, pride, lies, disobedience, greed, unforgiveness, bitterness or vain glory. It is never too late to start that fight. Start today! May the Lord deliver victory to you!

Every major bible character had their weaknesses. The only difference was that while some brought theirs before the Lord and received help to overcome, others simply ignored theirs probably because they thought it was very small, but later it ended up defeating them. The truth is, that little vice in your character has great prospect for growth. If ignored over a period, the little foxes will become great giants. Some leaders who accommodated a little trace of anger some years ago cannot believe that today, the spirit of anger operates in them. The level of anger in them drives away enemies as well as friends, well-wishers, family and others. No sane person would like to stay or work with a highly temperamental person. Anger has destroyed several homes and relationships. Greed had turned some friends into enemies. Greed has led to the untimely death of some business partners both in the world and in the church. Was it not greed that that led David to murder an innocent servant – Uriah even after all that God had given him? God hates greed! God has blessed some people in many ways but rather than being thankful, they are eyeing the little that others have. Do you know that some bosses are still eyeing the wives of their subordinates? Some believers that God has given several opportunities are eyeing the only opportunity that some other believers have. Some people today do not mind killing Naboth to get his only piece of land even when they have several landed properties. Yet, God told David that if what He had given him was not enough, He could have asked Him and received more. Are you a captive of greed? Repent today and fight it until God gives you the victory.

PRAYER POINT

Father, uproot from my life every trace of anger, greed, bitterness and unforgiveness.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Isaiah 47-50

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - FRIDAY - 20/09/2013 - BENEFICIAL PROBLEMS BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

BENEFICIAL PROBLEMS

MEMORY VERSE

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

READ

Acts 8:1-8

Acts 8:1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Acts 8:2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.

Acts 8:3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.

Acts 8:4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

Acts 8:5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.

Acts 8:6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.

Acts 8:7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.

Acts 8:8 And there was great joy in that city.

MESSAGE

From Mark 11:22-24, we understand that it is possible to move mountains. What is a mountain? It can mean a hindrance to progress. It can also be an obstacle preventing you from reaching your goal. A mountain can also be anything standing between you and your destiny. A hill is a problem while a mountain is a problem of a higher magnitude. Contrary to what many think and desire, mountains can really be useful. A mountain can be God's own way of advertising you. Israel did not know David until Goliath came to the scene. God used the incessant harassment of Goliath to bring David to limelight. The mountain, through which God will advertise you, may you not run away from it. May it fulfil its divine purpose in your life!

Moreover, a mountain could be God's way of waking you from sleep. In Acts 12:1, when Herod killed James, the church kept snoring, but when he grabbed Peter, they suddenly realised that if they did not do something about it, he would not stop at Peter but also kill the rest of them. So they began to pray. Are you sleeping spiritually? May the Lord get your attention by using a challenge to wake you up. In addition, a mountain can be God's avenue for drawing you closer to Him. God can use it to develop your spiritual muscles. For instance, it was while Joseph was in prison that he became an interpreter of dreams. Until then, he was a mere dreamer. Also, a mountain can help you to discover your potential. Philip never knew he had the potential to be a great evangelist until the intense persecution against the church that scattered all of them. Until then, he thought it was enough for him to aspire to be an outstanding deacon, but when his friend and fellow deacon - Stephen was killed, and Saul was throwing Christians into prison, he ran and that was how he got to Samaria and brought joy to the city after leading them to Christ. You may never really know what is in you until you face a big problem. Henceforth, problems will have their positive effects on you

PRAYER POINT

Father, from today, let me see and benefit from the good sides of problems.